Environmentally comparison with Incineration

Emission Levels

A range of  waste to energy solutions put forward in Australia to date invariably involve the incineration of solid waste. The New South Wales EPA has in the past not provided permits for projects that involve incineration. Pyrolysis as a thermal decomposition process occurring in the absence of oxygen (normally operating at around400ᵒC to 500ᵒC). The conversion process breaks down long chain polymers into smaller molecules to produce a fuel oil.

Pyrolysis (Thermal depolymerization) differs from incineration and provides a significantly cleaner alternative to the burning of MSW. In the US in 2014, 13% of MSW (biomass and non-biomass combustible material, mainly plastics) are burned for energy. The US DoE’s Argonne National Laboratory has conducted  , A.Eon believes that by opting for thermal pyrolysis it will have a distinct advantage with the EPA and with the community over projects proposing incineration of solid waste.

Limited Landfill Diversion and Resource Recovery Options Available to Date

The China ban on the import of foreign waste affected 250,000 tonnes of plastic sourced from Australia in the form of Process Engineered Fuel (“PEF”). Following the total ban on imported waste by China, there has been significant ctivity to investigate  viable reuse options.

Government agencies, including State EPA agencies, have encouraging industry to seek alternative cost effective reuse options for waste materials in order to divert end-of-life plastics from landfill.

Waste management companies will benefit from the extension to landfill life that A.Eon diversion of volume delivers.   – the landfill operator can in turn extend the life of landfill sites.

The A.Eon Projects facilitate recovery of end-of-life waste plastic materials from business and households and assist in reducing the resource recovery gap.

PROCESSING TYRES INTO PYROLYTIC OIL:

The invention relates to a method for co-pyrolysis of a polyolefin and a rubber containing material.

The extraction of energy and material from waste rubber materials, and in particular tyre waste, has recently gained much attention to drive the circular economy of waste materials. Energy from the waste material can be recovered under the application of heat through gasification, combustion, and pyrolysis. The pyrolysis process involves the breakdown and rearrangement of chemical constituents of the waste rubber material at high temperatures and under inert atmosphere. Hence, waste materials such as rubber can be converted back into raw hydrocarbons.

Pyrolysis of waste rubber materials generally produces oil, gas, and char. The oil and gas products are mainly composed of aliphatic (straight chain), single ring aromatics (SAH), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH). Aliphatic and SAH compounds are generally desirable, since for example, high SAH content in oil is an indication of a high-octane rating of a fuel. Moreover, SAHs such as benzene, toluene, xylene, styrene, etc. have numerous applications as raw materials in many industrial applications. In contrast, PAH compounds are undesirable since these compounds are highly carcinogenic and/or mutagenic. As such, the presence of PAH in oil or gas decreases the quality and market value of a pyrolytic oil.